Garbutt signs extension with Stars

FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Stars announced on Wednesday that they had reached terms with winger Ryan Garbutt on a three-year contract extension.

Garbutt made his NHL debut on Feb. 18, 2011 at the Phoenix Coyotes and his first NHL goal would come three nights later at Montreal. The 28-year-old winger played for Corpus Christi of the Central Hockey League during the 2009-10 season and also spent part of the following season in the East Coast Hockey League before landing with the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League, where he spent much of the 2010-11 campaign.

So far this season, Garbutt has 18 points (10-8-18) in 46 games for the Stars. A grinder in the truest sense of the term, and by that label the kind of player current Dallas head coach Lindy Ruff absolutely loves to have on his club, he’s someone who does all the little things like dig pucks out of corners, block shots, deliver a big hit and also contribute some offense whenever he can.

As if that wasn’t enough, No. 16 also has a nice bit of pace in his game, a nice quality to have, especially for a guy who is a solid cog in Dallas’ third or fourth lines depending on how Ruff puts those groups together.

Garbutt originally joined the Stars as a free agent on July 1, 2011 and first-year Dallas general manager Jim Nill is definitely happy to have him locked in for the next few years.

"Ryan has shown that he is an effective, hard-hitting forward that plays the game with a great deal of speed and tenacity," said Nill in a team-issued press release. "Over the course of the season, he has earned the trust of his coaching staff and has played himself into a role where we ask him to play against our opponent’s top players on a nightly basis. It’s a great credit to the work he has put in and we’re excited to have him signed."